Melicy Mandala’s work sits at the intersection of energy, gender, and dignity. A social entrepreneur and community advocate with Wala Women’s Social Enterprise in Malawi, Melicy is building women-led clean energy solutions that do more than reduce emissions. They restore time, health, income, and agency to women whose lives have long been shaped by energy poverty.
In many Malawian communities, energy is not a switch on a wall but hours spent gathering firewood, inhaling smoke from open fires, and sacrificing economic opportunities to meet basic household needs. For Melicy, this reality is not abstract. It is deeply personal and painfully familiar. She has seen how dependence on firewood and charcoal harms the environment, damages health, and places an overwhelming and unpaid burden on women. What struck her most was not only the environmental cost, but how the lack of clean energy quietly limits women’s time, income, and ability to imagine different futures for themselves.
The turning point in her journey came from observing women spend entire days collecting firewood, often at the expense of their safety and wellbeing. In those moments, Melicy began to see energy access as more than a technical or environmental challenge. It was a gender issue, an economic issue, and a poverty issue woven into everyday life. That realization shaped her commitment to solutions that are not imported or imposed, but rooted in community ownership.
Through Wala Women’s Social Enterprise, Melicy has helped women gain practical skills to produce and sell eco-friendly biomass briquettes as an alternative to firewood. These briquettes reduce pressure on forests, lower household exposure to harmful smoke, and create new sources of income for women. Beyond the tangible products, something equally powerful has emerged. Women involved in the initiative are more confident, more visible, and more willing to step into local leadership spaces. Clean energy, in this context, becomes a pathway to economic inclusion and self-belief.
One of the most common misconceptions Melicy encounters is the idea that grassroots clean energy solutions are too small to scale. To her, this misunderstands what sustainability truly means. Community-led initiatives, she argues, are often the most resilient because they are designed by the people who live with the problem every day. They respond to real needs, adapt quickly, and foster a sense of ownership that top-down solutions often struggle to achieve.
The journey, however, has not been without obstacles. Access to financing and stable markets remains one of the hardest challenges. Like many community-based initiatives, Wala Women’s Social Enterprise has had to navigate limited resources and uncertain demand. Melicy’s response has been patience and strategy. She started small, built trust within communities, formed partnerships, and aligned the work with broader climate and development priorities. Progress has been steady rather than explosive, but it has been durable.
On days when the pace feels slow or the path ahead uncertain, Melicy draws strength from small but meaningful wins. Seeing even one woman gain income, reclaim time, or feel relief from daily burdens is enough to keep her going. For her, change is not only measured in numbers but in lived experience. Looking ahead three to five years, she envisions women-led clean energy enterprises that are supported by policy, integrated into local energy systems, and recognized as essential contributors to national development.
At the heart of Melicy’s approach is a simple but often overlooked lesson about impact. Sustainable change begins with listening. Communities are not beneficiaries to be managed but partners to be respected. The women she works with have shaped her thinking more than any formal framework, and they continue to influence how success is defined. Beyond revenue or visibility, success looks like improved livelihoods, healthier environments, shared ownership, and women who are confident enough to lead.
For those hoping to create change in a similar space, Melicy’s advice is grounded and practical. Start locally. Involve the community from the very beginning. Collaboration is not optional, because lasting change cannot happen in isolation. If given a minute with policymakers, investors, or leaders, her ask would be clear. Support grassroots, women-led solutions with policies and investments that recognize their value. What excites her most about the future is the growing recognition of local innovation and youth leadership across the clean energy space.
Despite the recognition she is now receiving as a Top 12 Finalist of the Opportunity Desk Impact Challenge 2025, much of Melicy’s journey remains unseen. It is defined by quiet persistence, learning from setbacks, and showing up consistently for the community. She stays grounded by celebrating small wins, staying connected to the people she serves, and allowing herself time to rest and reflect.
If her work is remembered in one sentence, Melicy hopes it will be this. She helped empower women to lead sustainable, community-driven change.
This article is part of a special spotlight series produced through a partnership between Savvy Fellowship and Opportunity Desk, highlighting the Top 12 finalists of the Opportunity Desk Impact Challenge (ODIC) 2025 and amplifying community-driven solutions across Africa.